ArtsCentric announced the area premiere of the critically acclaimed musical, “The Scottsboro Boys,” which will run from June 28 to July 21.
The show is based on the true story from the significant, fraught time of segregation and Jim Crow in American history. In 1931, nine African American teens were falsely accused of raping two white women on a train. The case, originally tried in Scottsboro, Alabama, lasted more than 80 years, and is credited with spurring the Civil Rights Movement and inspiring future prominent activists.
“Their story of courage, injustice, and resilience is brought to life through captivating music, dance, and storytelling,” reads the press release announcing the production. The book is by David Thompson, music is by composer John Kander, and lyrics are by lyricist Fred Ebb.
“The Scottsboro Boys” was nominated for the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Book of a Musical, as well as nominations for the 2010 Tony Awards Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score.
ArtsCentric’s production will feature an entirely African American cast of local performers from Baltimore and the DMV area. The show will be directed by Kevin McAllister, ArtsCentric’s artistic director. McAllister is also a Broadway actor and has won a Helen Hayes award.
“We are thrilled to bring this important theatrical work to our stage,” McAllister said. “The Scottsboro Boys confronts difficult themes with honesty and compassion, prompting audiences to reflect on issues of race, equality, and the power of the human spirit.”
ArtsCentric was founded in 2003 by 12 artists who studied at Morgan State University. A 501c(3) nonprofit organization, it is a color-conscious group “committed to re-examining traditional roles in the arts, advancing original stories of minority cultures, and fostering educational advancement to strengthen the community of Baltimore through the power of theatre.” This organization produced in Baltimore the nation’s first African American cast production of “Chicago, The Musical,” a 1970s funk version of “Little Shop of Horrors,” and in 2023 closed out its season at Baltimore Centerstage with its telling of Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” through an African lens.
Tickets for “The Scottsboro Boys” are available by clicking this link.
ArtsCentric is located at 2600 N. Howard Street, Baltimore, MD. Free parking is available in the lot behind the building and across the street.
**Production contains: mature subject matter, coarse language, strobe effects, haze, flashing lights, and loud sounds.
